Monday, January 3, 2011

Journal Entry: Prominent Places


            It is time to discuss some of the cities and places of Tselestial.  Tselestial is a large continent.  The size of the continent not only allows for settlements of many different kinds, but the different climates add to this diversity.  Tselestial is home to humans, elves, dwarves, nahkri, dragons, and other species.  In this entry I will make an effort to describe some of the larger and more important settlements and dwellings of these various creatures.

            The Chaos Elves live in a volcano that they have named Fire Mount.  Fire Mount is the largest volcano in the southern region.  Fire Mount has not erupted in many thousands of years, but as the Chaos Elves know it is still alive.  The Chaos Elves found existing tunnels and caverns in Fire Mount and deeper in the ground.  They dug more tunnels and enlarged existing caverns.  Fire Mount is now a network of tunnels and caverns that would be easy for any but a Chaos Elf to get lost in.

            Klan Gorod is the biggest settlement in the center of the continent.  Klan Gorod is home to the Klans of Tselestial.  Klan Gorod is circular and planned out so that the three major Klans are at the center of the city.  The main streets are straight and go from the central park out to the walls.  Other streets form circles of varying sizes that intersect the main streets.  The Klans govern Klan Gorod, but the Klan Council and Klan Watch will be discussed later.

            King’s Town is the second largest settlement in the central part of the continent.  King’s Town is the home of King Brauhn.  Brauhn has been attempting to expand his kingdom, but King’s Town is the center of Brauhn’s rule.  King’s Town is a large city, but other than Brauhn’s palace and the plaza in front of it there is not much of note within the city.  The city continues to grow and has lost some of its splendor because the planning of the city cannot keep up with its rapid growth.  Inns and taverns dot the city and are the most common place for locals to spend their time.  Brauhn is not known for his attention to the day to day dealings of his city.

            The wanderers of the north are human nomads.  They originally did not have a central city, but as their population grew a small trading settlement developed.  As time has passed the trading settlement became a city.  The elders and the Wanderer, the chosen leader of the people, reside in the city of the wanderers.  They are the only permanent residents.  All of the other wanderers come and go as they please.  The dwellings of the city are constructed of handmade cement and are block buildings.  The city layout is such that the markets are at the center.    The markets are at the center because trading is one of the main purposes of the city.  The other wanderers live in nomadic groups or tribes and travel the frozen north of Tselestial.

            The final settlement of mention is the home of the Frost Elves.  Most people believe that nothing exists in the far northern reaches of Tselestial.  Even the wanderers believe the far north is empty of all life.  The valley home of the Frost Elves is hidden in a mountain.  The mountain is nearly hollowed out and is larger than Fire Mount.  Long ago I hid this valley home with fog and a ball of fire that gave life and light to the valley.  The valley is green and fertile.  Wild animals live in the northern portion of the valley, which is wild and untamed.  The Frost Elves live in the southern end of the valley in a loose knit community.  Their homes are spread far apart and the valley has numerous trees and plants.  The Frost Elves try to have as little impact as possible on the valley.  This changed when Melthalas built his palace.  The structure dominates the southern end of the valley and is out of place in such a natural setting.

            In my next entry I will discuss Klan Gorod in more depth and the Klans.  For now the information I have given will suffice.

No comments: